


Gabe

by Julesmonster



Category: NCIS
Genre: Drama, Kid Fic, M/M, Original Character Death(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-17
Updated: 2014-01-22
Packaged: 2018-01-09 01:44:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1139970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Julesmonster/pseuds/Julesmonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony’s life is changed when he meets Gabe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> A/N: So, I started this story a long time ago and fell in love with Gabe just like Tony did. Hope you do too! There will be six parts, and I’ll post one each day. Enjoy! Jules

**Part One**

There was a soft knock at the door and Tony glanced up from the episode of Magnum that was playing on his TV. He wasn't expecting anyone, but that didn't mean much. People from his apartment building often just dropped by. His building was old and a bit rundown, and the tenants were mostly either retired on fixed incomes or struggling young adults who simply couldn't afford better. More than a few of the older tenants liked to visit Tony. He let them talk about their memories and lives and relive times that were happier.

It was Saturday afternoon and there was nothing to occupy his time until Monday, so Tony welcomed the intrusion. Too much time spent alone meant too much time lost in his thoughts and dwelling on things he couldn't change. Like his feelings for Gibbs. He paused the video and went to the door.

"Ada," Tony said with a grin as he opened the door to let his neighbor in. "I thought you were still in North Carolina visiting your friend."

Mrs. Ada Anders tried to smile but there was a profound sadness in her eyes. "I had to come home early. I received a call from the police."

Tony ushered the woman inside and to his small kitchen table before taking a seat beside her. "What happened?"

"It's Shelly," Mrs. Anders said with silent tears rolling down her cheeks. "She's…"

She didn't have to explain. Tony knew that Shelly had been dealing with an addiction to crystal meth for years. It seemed every time she got clean, she'd just fall back into the same trap again. She'd been working as a prostitute to pay for her addiction for more than five years. She even had a son by one of her unnamed johns. Now, it seemed like her addiction had finally won for good this time.

"Where's Gabe?" Tony asked gently.

"Protective services has him," Ada said. "I was hoping you could…"

"Let me get changed and grab my coat and we'll go," Tony said.

Tony thought about Gabriel Anders. He had been living with Ada for most of his life, but she was never given official custody. He was a bright child and eternally happy, with boundless energy, and Tony loved spending as much time with him as he could. In fact, he often babysat Gabe when Ada needed help. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to watch him while Ada had been in North Carolina because of his work. Which was the only reason that Shelly had him.

He changed quickly and rejoined Ada. "I thought Shelly was clean."

Ada sighed with a weariness that came from watching her only child slowly kill herself for years. "She was. For almost three months this time. Had a job at the IHOP. But… I don't know. I guess she slipped one time too many."

"Who was with Gabe?" Tony asked.

Tears sprung to Ada eyes again. "No one. He was with her. He called 911."

"Shit," Tony muttered. "We'll get him home and we'll make sure he's fine."

Tony pulled out his cell phone and started making calls as he escorted Ada to the elevator. By the time they reached the protective services office where Gabe was being watched, Tony had set several things in motion.

"Tony!"

Tony and Ada stopped on their way to the front door as a man in jeans and a leather bomber jacket jogged over to them.

"Grant," Tony said with a smile. "I'm glad you made it. Ada, this is an old friend, Grant Downing. He's a lawyer who specializes in adoptions and custody disputes. He's going to help us cut through some of the red tape."

Grant and Ada exchanged a brief greeting before Grant got down to business. "I spoke with the director of the agency and she promised to make a few calls and help make the transition as smooth as possible. They're expecting us."

"That's great, Grant," Tony said.

"Just let me do the talking," Grant told the two people as they all entered the building.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

A couple hours later, the paperwork had been completed and Gabe was officially in Ada's custody. They were just waiting for him to be delivered by the social worker who had been seeing to his care for the past day.

"Now, the social worker will schedule a couple visits over the next month, but if everything goes well with those visits, that will be the end of it," Grant was telling Ada.

Just then, the door to the conference room opened and a tiny ball of energy came running into the room. "Gammy! Tony!"

Gabe flung himself into his grandmother's arms and began crying. "Momma's gone. I tried to help her. I tried Gammy!"

"Shh," Ada soothed. "You were such a brave little boy. You did just what you should, calling 911. There was nothing anyone could do to help your momma."

Ada held and soothed Gabe for long minutes until his tears dried up and his sobs eased. When he looked up from her shoulder, he smiled at Tony. "Hi Tony."

"Hey, little man," Tony said with an answering smile. "I'm so glad to see you. I've missed you."

"Missed you too," Gabe said as he climbed from his grandmother's lap and into Tony's. "I was with Momma, but she died. And then I was with Miss Ellie. She was nice, but I wanted Gammy. Can we go to your house and play checkers? Maybe have some cookies?"

Tony chuckled as he tickled the little boy's belly. "You just want to beat me again. You're a checkers shark."

"Sharks like cookies," Gabe giggled

"How about this," Tony said as he stood up, Gabe still in his arms. "You me and Grammy get dinner at Dino's and then we can play checkers."

"And cookies?" Gabe asked relentlessly.

"And cookies," Tony finally gave in.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Three months following the death of Shelly, Gabe was doing just fine. He had lived with Ada practically since he was born and, for that reason, losing his mother wasn't as traumatic as it could have been. Though he had nightmares about finding her dead and the occasional wet bed for a while, those seemed to fade in only a few short weeks. And his irrepressible energy during the daylight hours never seemed to falter.

Tony had begun spending even more time with Ada and Gabe in his free time. Gabe loved going to Tony's and watching old movies with him, or playing games. They had advanced from checkers to dominoes. Tony had attempted to introduce the boy to more age appropriate games like Candyland or Chutes and Ladders, but Gabe insisted that those games were for babies. He liked playing card games, however, so Tony spent more than one evening playing Go Fish or Old Maid with the precocious four year old.

Ada's health was a concern. She had developed a cough not long ago that wouldn't seem to go away. Despite Tony's protests that she should see her doctor, she insisted that it was just a cold. But as fatigue became more prevalent, Tony and Gabe spent even more time together. She needed the rest and Tony was happy to spend as much time as possible with the small boy who had captured his heart.

Tony sat at his desk and considered how his life had truly changed since Ada and Gabe had come into it. While Gabe had been living with Ada from the beginning, they had only moved into Tony's building when Gabe was three. For the past year, however, Tony had become a huge part of their lives and they a part of his. He wasn't sure what he would do if they ever moved on without him.

Shaking off that thought, Tony looked down at the cold case sitting open on his desk. Things had been pretty quiet for the team so far that week. It was only Tuesday, but so far, no mayhem or murder. So everyone was stuck looking through cold cases. Tony didn't mind too much. In the past, he would have been filled with an overabundance of energy and would have fallen back on pranks and jokes to entertain himself. These days, if he got bored, all he needed to do was pick up the phone and call Gabe. That little man could wear even the most energetic thirty-five year old out.

Just then, Tony's phone rang and he picked it up without looking at the caller ID. "DiNozzo."

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Gibbs glanced over at his senior agent as he answered his phone. Like the rest of his team, he was hoping that it was dispatch, but it soon became apparent that they were out of luck. It was a personal call. Another personal call. That made four already this week, and it was only early afternoon on Tuesday.

The past several months, Gibbs had noticed a distinct change in Tony. He seemed more settled, more at peace. He was less agitated during down times and more focused when working. It was a good change, but the reason behind that change didn't sit well with Gibbs.

"Hey, Ada," Tony said with a grin. "How's your day going?" Gibbs glanced at Ziva and McGee and noted that they were listening to Tony's end of the conversation as well. "Things are quiet here. As long as nothing comes up, I'll be home for dinner on time. I'll call if anything changes." There was another pause as Tony listened. "Sure, put him on."

Gibbs frowned. Tony had been taking calls from this Ada woman for months now, and every time, he ended up talking to Gabe. Gibbs didn't know who Ada was, but he was pretty sure that Gabe was her son. And Tony must be getting pretty serious about both of them. It seemed like he was always with them on his days off. There were no more stories about Tony's weekend conquests on Monday mornings; only stories about what he had done with Gabe and Ada.

"Hey Little Man!" Tony said with a wide grin. He listened with that same smile plastered to his face. "Uh-huh. I heard about that. Are you sure you're only four?" Another pause and Tony chuckled at whatever the little boy had said. "Well, if you're good, maybe I'll bring home cookies from Arturo's Bakery. But you have to win them." Pause. "I'll let you choose the game, you little shark." Another chuckle. "I know, sharks love cookies. I have to get back to work, but I'll see you later, Gabe."

Tony hung up the phone and was still grinning as he looked back at his file. Gibbs pretended to be absorbed in his own work, but watched and listened carefully as Ziva took the opportunity to quiz Tony.

"So, that was Ada and Gabe again?" Ziva asked. "Things seem to be getting pretty serious. Are you going to tie the hitch?"

Tony chuckled at her, his amusement clear. "It's get hitched, or tie the knot. But for your information, there aren't any plans for either. We're all perfectly happy with the way things are right now."

 _Everyone except me_ , Gibbs thought to himself.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

A few weeks later, Tony was riding back to headquarters from a crime scene with Gibbs when his cell phone rang. When he saw it was Ada's number, he answered with a smile.

"Hey!"

"Tony!" Gabe's terrified voice came across the line loud enough that even Gibbs heard it. "Gammy!" He was sobbing and Tony was getting a little scared himself.

"Hey, Little Man," Tony said in a soothing voice. "Calm down and tell me what's up. Okay?"

There were a few hiccupping sobs, and then, "Gammy won't wake up. I called 911 but I'm scared."

"Okay, Gabe, I'm on my way home right now," Tony said and gave a look to Gibbs who nodded before putting the pedal to the floor. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

Another hiccupping sob. "O-okay."

"Can you be a brave boy for me?" Tony asked. "Can you put your ear next to Grammy's mouth and listen?"

"Uh-huh." There was shuffling and silence for a few seconds before Gabe came back. "I heared her breathing. It tickled my cheek."

"Okay," Tony said with a sigh of relief. "That's good. That's very good."

Tony continued to talk to Gabe as they sped towards his apartment building. They arrived just as the ambulance was pulling in. Tony ran over to meet them, showed his badge and then rushed inside. Gibbs followed behind the small entourage, curious to finally meet Gabe and Ada. Though apparently, Ada was Gabe's grandmother, not his mother.

When he entered the apartment, Tony already had Gabe in his arms, the small child sobbing into Tony's shoulder. All Gibbs could really see was a head of silky light-brown hair and the lightly tanned skin on arms wrapped around Tony. Tony whispered comforting words to Gabe even as he watched the paramedics work on Ada. It was obvious that her breathing was labored; it reminded Gibbs of when Tony had Y pestis.

"Her name is Ada Anders," Tony told the men when they asked about her medical history. "She's sixty-two, is diabetic, and has had a persistent cough for a couple weeks now. She has no allergies to medications, but she is allergic to shellfish."

"Did she go out anywhere today? Eat anything unusual?"

Tony whispered to Gabe who shook his head. Tony looked up and said, "No, she and Gabe were here all morning. They had pancakes for breakfast and hadn't had lunch yet. I had dinner with them last night and it was pasta with a meat sauce."

"We're taking her to DC General," the paramedic said. "I assume you'll follow?"

"We'll meet you there," Gibbs said, speaking for the first time.

The paramedics quickly left the apartment, leaving Tony and Gibbs staring at each other. "I'll call Vance while you get him ready to go. Ziva and McGee can deal with the Carson case."

Tony nodded. The case was pretty cut and dried as far as he could tell. The murderer had left bloody fingerprints all over the place. It had obviously been a crime of passion, so it should be pretty simple to track down the man's girlfriend. And if it got more complicated than that, Gibbs could drop him off and go back to work.

Tony carried Gabe to his bedroom and helped him change out of his pajamas. He took a minute to clean him up with a wet cloth. He'd been sweating and crying from fear and a quick clean would make him feel better. Then he let a subdued Gabe pick out the jeans and t-shirt he would wear. It was April and the weather was nice, but he'd still need a jacket, so Tony grabbed that and helped Gabe put it on. Then they found Gabe's discarded sneakers and Tony let the four year old do the Velcro straps himself.

"Ready to go?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," Gabe said. He took Tony's hand and looked up at him. "Is Gammy gonna go ta heaven like momma?"

Tony swallowed back a lump in his throat. "I don't know, kiddo."

Gabe nodded, his eyes filled with an understanding beyond his years. It was enough to bring tears to Tony's eyes.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Tony was glad that he had thought to bring the card games. Sitting in a waiting room with a four year old, even one who was so obviously worried about his Grammy, was a trying experience. And so Tony, Gibbs and Gabe played Old Maid and Go Fish while eating the lunch that Gibbs had brought up from the cafeteria. Eventually, Gabe, exhausted from his stressful morning, fell asleep in Tony's arms.

"I'm rather surprised at how long you've been able to hold off the questions," Tony said quietly. Gibbs had been watching him intently for almost ten minutes.

"Ada is not your girlfriend," Gibbs said.

Tony chuckled. "No. But she got a good giggle out of that when I told her about it. She especially loved hearing about Ziva asking when we were going to get married."

"And Gabe?" Gibbs asked.

"His mom was a drug addict," Tony said soberly. "She died a few months ago, but Gabe has pretty much always lived with Ada. He was with Shelly when she died, though. That's part of the reason today was so hard on him."

"And you've been…"

Tony shrugged. "He needs…" He shrugged again. He really wasn't sure how to explain his place in Gabe's life or the instant bond he'd felt for the little boy. "He's special, you know? Most kids can't stand me. I have no idea what to say to them or do with them and they can tell, I think. But Gabe was different. The first time we met… well, he just took over. Any awkwardness on my part was shrugged off."

He sighed. "Everyone thought I was in love and I let them, because in a way, it's true. I fell in love with this little boy. I don't know what I'd do without him. I love Ada… she's a great friend and a wonderful person. But Gabe…"

Gibbs nodded. "I know what you mean. Kelly was like that. She just took over my heart. She was just a minute old, but she looked up at me with wide wondering eyes and I was lost."

"Yeah," Tony said.

They fell silent then. Neither of them was very good with sharing feelings, and that short conversation had been huge for them. Neither of them brought up what would happen if Ada wasn't okay. It was an unknown and there was no use dwelling on it.


	2. Part Two

**Part Two**

"Mr. DiNozzo?"

Tony looked up at the doctor who had come into the waiting room. Normally, he would have rushed over, but Gabe was still asleep in his arms and he didn't want to disturb him. "That's me. How's Ada?"

"She's doing better," the doctor said. "We've put her on oxygen and run a few tests. I've spoken with her and she knows what I'm about to tell you. The results of her chest scans show rather advanced lung cancer. We're admitting her to the oncology wing and one of our best doctors is taking her case. But I have to be honest. It doesn't look good. With cancer this advanced, there's rarely anything we can do beyond making the patient comfortable. I'm sorry."

Tony nodded in stunned silence as he processed what he'd heard. "How long?"

"A week, maybe two at the most," the doctor said. "Again, I'm truly sorry. She'll be in room 254. You'll be able to go see her in about fifteen minutes."

"Thanks," Tony said softly.

As the doctor walked away, Tony kissed the top of Gabe's head. Now what?

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Ada was awake when they reached her room. Gabe, clambered from Tony's arms and onto the bed so that he could wrap his arms around his Grammy. Gibbs stood back and watched as the two reunited. Tony, on the other hand, was right in there with them. He stood beside the bed and the three exchanged quiet words of comfort.

"Oh, Ada, this is Gibbs," Tony said, eventually.

Ada gave him a weak smile. "I've heard a lot about you, Agent Gibbs. Tony speaks very highly of you." She finished her speech with a series of coughing that reminded them all of why they were there. "Agent Gibbs, would you mind taking Gabe down for ice cream?"

"Ice cream?" Gabe asked, his ears perking up.

"That sounds like a great idea," Gibbs said as he walked over and helped Gabe climb from the bed. "We can have a snack while your Grammy and Tony talk."

"Grownup stuff," Gabe said with a huff. He walked towards the door but stopped and rushed back over to Ada. Tony lifted him up and he gave Ada another tight hug. "Love you gammy."

"Love you too, Baby," Ada said tearfully.

The room was silent after Gibbs and Gabe left. Finally, Ada chuckled. "I guess we know why that cough wouldn't go away, now."

"Guess we do," Tony said, but he wasn't smiling or laughing.

Ada sobered and nodded her head. "I've been thinking about this for a while now, Tony. Gabe's gonna need a good home. I want you to take him. I want you to raise him. He loves you and you love him."

"Ada…" A part of Tony wanted to argue that he wasn't cut out to be a father. He was single and had a dangerous job. He had a horrible father as an example. And yet… Yet, he loved that boy more than he had ever thought possible.

Ada smiled sadly. "No arguments. You're good for each other and there's no one I would trust more. But I need you to get your friend over here so we can take care of the legal mumbo-jumbo. I want to know it's all taken care of before I go."

Tony swallowed thickly. "I'll call Grant."

"Good," Ada said tiredly. She lay back in bed and glanced slyly at Tony. "Your Gibbs is a real looker. Why didn't you ever tell me that?"

Tony laughed. "And have you trying to play matchmaker? No way!"

Ada chuckled and then coughed. They were both sober when she was finally able to breathe well enough to speak again. "You love him. You should tell him."

Tony smiled sadly. "I do, but there's no way he could ever love me back. Not like that. So I'll take what I can get."

"I say you're wrong," Ada said. "But I'm too tired to argue with you now."

Tony watched as his friend fell asleep and thought about life and how quickly it could change.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Gibbs watched as Tony talked quietly with Gabe. The boy didn't want to leave, but they had already broken more than a few hospital rules having him there at all. There was no way the nurses would let him stay overnight.

"You know, I have great idea," Gibbs finally said in an attempt to break the stalemate. "Why don't we all go to Fuddruckers for dinner? We can eat and play games. And tomorrow, Gabe, you can come back and tell Grammy all about it."

Gabe looked up at Gibbs with serious blue eyes. "Promise?"

"I promise," Gibbs said.

"'Kay," Gabe said. He went over to the bed where Ada was watching the exchange tiredly. "We gonna go now, Gammy. But we be back, 'n I'm gonna tell you all about everything. 'Kay?"

"Sounds good, baby," Ada said with a weary smile. "You have fun with Tony and Agent Gibbs and I'll see you tomorrow."

"He's Jethro," Gabe said. "He said so."

"Okay, have fun with Tony and Jethro," Ada said. "Now give me a kiss and skedaddle."

Gabe giggled but climbed up into the bed to give Ada a big hug and a sloppy kiss. "Love you Gammy."

"Love you too, baby boy," Ada said.

Tony and Gibbs said their goodbyes and soon the three were off. Gabe was talking a mile a minute as he quizzed Tony on exactly what Fuddruckers was and what they would do there. Gibbs grinned when Tony patiently explained. Tony had never been good with kids, but there really was something special between him and this little boy.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Gibbs had been reluctant to leave Tony and Gabe the night before. Dinner had been more fun than Gibbs could remember having since… well, since Kelly and Shannon had been killed. Afterward, he'd driven Tony back to his apartment and the three of them had settled in for a rousing game of dominoes. Gibbs had thought to go easy on the four year old, but had been surprised to see that Gabe didn't need or want him to go easy. The kid really was a shark.

Tony had put Gabe to bed in his spare room. After spending most of the day with Tony and Gabe, he wasn't totally surprised to learn that Gabe spent many nights in that room. In fact, Tony's treadmill had been moved to one side of the room in order to make room for a toy box and a shelf filled with books and games for Gabe. The bed even had dinosaur sheets and bedspread.

Then Tony and Gibbs had settled down to have a couple beers and watch the end of a basketball game. They hadn't talked about Ada or Gabe, or anything of real importance, but Gibbs could tell that Tony was thinking about all of that. Before taking his leave for the night, Gibbs had turned to his friend and senior agent.

"Take however long you need," Gibbs said. "We'll get by without you. Gabe needs you more than the team does right now. And you have more than enough time coming to you. If you need to talk or help with anything…"

Tony had smiled. "I know where to find you."

Gibbs nodded. "I'll stop in tomorrow."

And he'd left. He had left, even though the only thing he really wanted to do was stick around and hold Tony. He wanted to take away the man's pain. He wanted to make everything right for him. And for Gabe. But nothing could make this right and Tony didn't want Gibbs to hold him.

"Where's Tony?" Ziva asked. She'd just stepped off the elevator and gone to her desk, expecting to find Tony waiting with a taunting comment regarding her lateness.

McGee looked up from his computer, waiting for the answer.

"He's taking some personal time," Gibbs said. "Family emergency."

"Is Senior alright?" McGee asked with a frown.

"Senior is fine," Gibbs said. "Different family."

Ziva and McGee exchanged a look, but they were both wise enough not to ask any more. They'd leave the interrogation to Abby, who wouldn't have to worry about head slaps or a grumpy Gibbs, and get the answers from her later.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

By three o'clock that afternoon, the Carson case was wrapped up and Gibbs was ready to shoot his entire team. Abby and Ducky had been relentless in their quest for answers regarding Tony's whereabouts. Ziva and McGee, while smart enough not to voice their concerns, had been watching him for clues all day.

"Going for coffee," Gibbs barked before grabbing his sport jacket and heading for the elevator. By the time he had reached street level, he had his cell phone out and had dialed Tony.

"What's up, Boss?"

"Your teammates are driving me crazy."

Tony chuckled. "Yeah well, I suppose we should have expected that. You can tell them what's going on. Wish I could be there to see their faces when they find out that Ada's old enough to be my mother."

Gibbs chuckled, his mood considerably lighter. "How're Ada and Gabe?"

"Gabe is doing well," Tony said quietly. "Ada is… she's keeping cheerful for Gabe's sake, but she's not doing well."

"She's a strong woman," Gibbs said.

"Yeah," Tony sighed. "We met with Grant today. He's going to push through the paperwork to transfer Gabe's guardianship to me. He has a judge who'll sign off on it. It'll take longer for the adoption to go through, but… well, if we get this part out of the way, the adoption will be more of a formality."

"That's good," Gibbs said. "It'll set Ada's mind to rest."

"That's what she said," Tony told him. "She wants to explain things to Gabe today. I'm not sure how much he'll understand, but it will be better for him to have a chance to say goodbye, right?"

"Yeah, Tony, it will." Gibbs thought about losing Shannon and Kelly without warning and knew that he would have given anything for that chance.

"Yeah," Tony said. "Well, I better get back. You caught me on my way back from the gift shop. Gabe and I stopped in earlier for flowers and Gabe insisted that Ada needed a stuffed lion to protect her while she sleeps away from home. Of course, once we gave it to her, he decided that the lion needed a friend, so I was ordered to find the perfect friend for a stuffed lion."

Gibbs chuckled. "What did you find?"

Tony was silent for a minute, but then laughed embarrassedly. "I got the tiger _and_ the bear."

"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my," Gibbs said with a laugh.

Gibbs could almost see Tony shrug. "Hey, Gabe likes that movie. And so does Ada."

"I'm sure they do," Gibbs said. "What time should I stop in?"

"Depends on if you want dinner or not," Tony said. "I'm making stir fry."

"I'm in."

"Then be at my place at six," Tony said.

Gibbs hung up the phone with a smile on his face.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

"Get everyone down to Abby's lab," Gibbs told Ziva as soon as he returned from the coffee shop. "Including Ducky and Palmer."

"Yes Gibbs," Ziva said. She and McGee exchanged another look, but it didn't bother Gibbs as much this time.

Ten minutes later, everyone was gathered together when Gibbs entered the lab. He looked around at their expectant faces and waited.

"Gibbs!" Abby whined. "Spill!"

Gibbs grunted. "Ada is not Tony's girlfriend. She's an older woman who lives in his building. She's been raising Gabe, her grandson, his whole life. Yesterday, Ada collapsed and when she was taken to the hospital, it was discovered that she had advanced lung cancer. They don't expect her to live much beyond the week. As we speak, she is in the process of legally turning over Gabe's guardianship to Tony and the adoption process will soon follow. Tony's taking time off to deal with all of that."

The entire room was silent for the space of six heartbeats and then it exploded with sounds as questions were tossed around randomly. When raising his voice did nothing to quiet them, he gave a loud whistle. The response was immediate silence.

"I'll take questions one at a time." Gibbs smirked. It was like conducting a press conference.

"So there's no girl?" McGee asked.

Abby rolled her eyes and hit him in the shoulder. "Duh, McGee! Gibbs just said that, didn't he?"

"You have met Ada and Gabe?" Ziva asked. Gibbs nodded. "What are they like?"

"Well, Ada's a very strong and good woman, though I didn't meet her under the best circumstances," Gibbs said. "And Gabe is… Gabe is smart and funny and a bundle of energy. He can talk your ear off."

"So, exactly like Tony?" Palmer asked with a grin.

Gibbs chuckled. "Very similar. He has light brown hair and blue eyes and he's four years old going on thirty."

"Is there anything we can do?" Ducky asked. "For Anthony or for Ada?"

Gibbs nodded. "Well, I have been thinking about that…"

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Tony wasn't altogether surprised when his teammates began showing up at the hospital, one by one, and introducing themselves to Ada and Gabe. Abby, of course, had been the first. She had taken an instant liking to Gabe, and Gabe seemed to be fascinated by her. By the time Tony and Gabe reached home that evening, each one of his teammates had met Gabe and Gabe was rather impressed with each of them.

Tony and Gabe set about making dinner together, though Gabe was given the easier tasks of stirring the marinade and setting the table, while Tony chopped and cooked. Of course, Gabe made a point of stealing as many snow peas as he could reach without Tony 'noticing'.

Everything was ready to throw into the pan when Gibbs arrived.

"Just in time," Tony said as he tossed the meat into the hot wok. "It'll just be a couple minutes. Why don't you take Gabe and the two of you can wash up together?"

"Sounds like a plan," Gibbs said. "Lead the way, Gabe."

Gabe giggled but took Gibbs' hand and dragged him to the bathroom. Tony smiled as he continued to cook. Gibbs really was great with kids. In spite of everything, having Gibbs around and spending time, just the three of them, made Tony feel good inside. It was almost like the three of them were a real family.

Once the food was finished, they ate the stir fry while talking about their respective days. Gabe was rather animated when describing all the new friends he had made that afternoon.

"Jimmy said he's gonna take me to the park. An' Ducky said he's gonna show me how to play…" Gabe looked at Tony. "What was it again?"

"Mancala," Tony said.

"Macanla," Gabe said. "Right. But Abby was the bestest. She gots pictures on her skin. Tony, can I get pictures on my skin too?"

"Not until you're as old as Jethro," Tony said with a grin.

Gabe looked from Tony to Gibbs and back again with wide eyes. Then he leaned over to whisper loudly to Tony. "But Jethro's _REALLY_ _old_!"

Tony burst out laughing while Gibbs gave a playful growl and tickled Gabe's belly. "I'll show you old, squirt!"

Later, Gibbs sat and listened while Tony read to Gabe from a book about a kid who was being chased by the Greek gods. Tony was really patient with all of Gabe's questions and he seemed to be enjoying the story almost as much as Gabe.

Once Gabe was finally put to bed, Tony rejoined Gibbs in the living room and sighed. "He hasn't asked about what Ada told him today. I'm not sure if that's good or bad."

"Likely, neither," Gibbs said. "It's a lot for him to understand. He's probably still working it out."

"Me too," Tony murmured. He got up and went to grab a couple beers from the fridge. Once he was back and they had each taken a swig from their bottle, he said, "I'm not sure why you sent everyone over today, but Gabe seemed to like having them there. And Ada was a bit livelier for a while."

Gibbs nodded. "Sent them because you aren't gonna be able to be with Gabe all the time. You'll need to deal with practical matters."

"Ah," Tony said. He hadn't really considered that.

"Besides, I thought you could use the moral support," Gibbs said.

"Yeah," Tony said. "It's not easy." He took a long drink of his beer. "She says she's ready, but I can see the fear in her eyes when she's struggling for breath. She's trying so hard to be strong for Gabe. She doesn't want him to remember her sick or frightened."

"Well, you know that we're here for you and Gabe," Gibbs said.

"I know," Tony said with a sad smile. "Thanks.


	3. Part Three

**Part Three**

The next morning, Gabe started with the questions. Tony had been steeling himself but he still wasn't prepared when they came. He handled them the best that he could, but he knew that there would be more questions coming. He told Gabe about heaven and that Grammy would always live in his heart, but he didn't feel like it was nearly enough.

Over the next several days, Gabe grew quieter as Ada's condition worsened. The team took turns spending time either in the hospital with Tony and Gabe or taking Gabe out for short adventures. Tony was glad for the respite, and knew that Ada was as well. Each time Gabe left, it was like she deflated and the extent of her illness really came out then.

Eight days after getting the call from Gabe, Ada asked Tony to bring Gabe to her. Gabe sat on Ada's bed and listened as she whispered comforting words of farewell to her grandson between gasping breaths. Gabe cried quietly as he listened and hugged her tightly. Gibbs, who was standing by the doorway, scooped the young boy into his arms when Ada was finished.

He took Gabe down to the cafeteria, leaving Tony alone with Ada. As they walked, Gabe said, "Gammy said goodbye. She said she's tired and it's time for her to go ta heaven."

"Yeah," Gibbs said. "But in heaven she'll be able to watch over you and she won't hurt anymore."

"She hurts a lots," Gabe said gloomily. He looked up at Gibbs. "I hurts a lots in my heart, too. Does that mean I'm gonna go ta heaven to be with Gammy?"

Gibbs shook his head and patted Gabe's hair. "Nope, that just means you're very sad."

"Yeah, I am," Gabe said miserably.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Tony held Ada's hand and tried to hold back his tears.

"I'm… ready Tony," Ada gasped out.

"I'm not," Tony told her.

"Yes you are," Ada said. "You'll… take good care… of my baby."

"You have my word," Tony vowed.

"And Jethro… will take good care… of both of you," Ada said.

Tony had to chuckle through his tears. "Even now you're trying to be a matchmaker."

"He… loves you," Ada said. "Trust an… old lady."

Tony closed his eyes. "We'll see."

Ada gave a weak laugh. "Still so… stubborn."

"Always," Tony agreed. He smiled. "You are a very good woman and a great friend, Ada. I'm going to miss you more than you know."

"I'll be… watching," Ada gasped.

"I know," Tony said sadly.

Ada's eyes fell closed as she continued to struggle for breath. Each gasp was a little shorter, a little shallower, until they stopped altogether. Tony just sat and held her hand even as the monitor alarms rang and the nurse came in to shut them off. It wasn't until the doctor came to pronounce her dead that Tony stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes, and walked out of the room.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Ada had prepared for everything. She had spent time with the funeral director and had planned out the service ahead of time. When Tony met with Grant the day before the funeral, he realized that she had also spent more time with his friend than Tony had known.

"She had a rather substantial life insurance policy," Grant told Tony. "And she made you the beneficiary. She also had a small investment portfolio that she left in trust for Gabriel's education. She told me that her late husband started it when they first married. He had intended it to be for Shelly, but when it became obvious that Shelly wasn't going to college, and then Gabe came along, Ada transferred the trust to him. The two of them have been paying into the trust for more than thirty years."

"She could barely make ends meet, but she was planning for Gabe's future," Tony said softly.

Grant nodded. "She wasn't as poor as you might think, Tony. She said that they didn't need much to live on, and she wanted to be sure that Gabe had everything he could ever need. Unlike most people, she spent only what was necessary and saved the rest for a rainy day. She left instructions in her will. She wanted you to use the life insurance, what was left after the funeral and hospital bills were paid, to buy a house for you and Gabe."

"How much?" Tony asked.

"Five hundred thousand in the life insurance and just over $2 million in assets plus the trust for Gabe," Grant said. "Like I said: substantial. She took the policy out years ago and has been paying into it every month like clockwork. And she and her husband invested their personal funds wisely over the years. She didn't want to leave either Shelly or Gabe without."

Tony shook his head. "Why me? Why'd she leave it to me? Why not Gabe?"

"In a way, she has," Grant said. "She wanted him to have a happy home. This money, ensuring that the adoption process had begun, that was her way of doing that."

Tony sighed. "What about the trust?"

"It's being managed by Garrett and Associates," Grant said. "And you'll be the executor until Gabe turns 25. The way the trust is set up, you can access the funds to pay for his education now through post-graduate school. What he doesn't use for school, he'll be able to use to get a good start in life. I was rather surprised how much money was in the trust. It's more than enough to fund his education and buy a house after he graduates as it stands right now. But I expect that the fund will more than double in the next fifteen years."

"So Gabe's future and education is definitely taken care of," Tony said. "Well, that's good news, I suppose."

"There are also a few instructions in the will regarding some antiques in her possession," Grant said. "There are a number of items that were passed down through her family. She had them appraised for insurance purposes. I have a list."

Tony looked at the list Grant handed to him and shook his head in disbelief. He'd eaten at that dining room table a hundred times. He never would have guessed that it was worth $20,000. Or that the dishes Ada had served from were worth almost as much. There were two Tiffany lamps and a number of other items that Tony had seen in Ada's apartment. None of them had been treated any differently than any other item in the apartment.

"She used to serve spaghetti and meatballs on Wedgewood china," Tony said with a snort. "And never blinked twice about letting Gabe eat from the same plates. I knew it was nice, but this… She told me once that it was silly to save nice things for special occasions. That we'd never really get to enjoy them that way."

"Well, she left a detailed history for each of the items," Grant said. "She also noted which ones she would prefer you kept for Gabe, the one's that meant the most to her or to her husband's family. The rest, she said you should do with as you please. Keep them, sell them… it didn't matter."

Tony closed his eyes and took a fortifying breath. "Grant, I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of questions later, but right now… I think I just need some time to process all of this."

"I know, man," Grant said and put a comforting hand on Tony's shoulder. "We'll talk again later. After the funeral. By the way, where's Gabe? I was kind of looking forward to seeing him again. He's a little dynamo."

Tony smiled. "He's with Gibbs. They were going to the park. I'm going to meet them for lunch in a few minutes. Then I've got to go meet with the funeral director. I think Abby's going to take Gabe to the zoo this afternoon. I have a hard time keeping track of all the things my team have planned for Gabe. But if he's busy, he doesn't have time to miss Ada too much. At night it's a different story. He's been having a rough time of it."

"Right," Grant said sadly. "He's good kid and he'll get through this. You'll get him through it. I can tell how much you care about that little boy."

"I do," Tony admitted. "More than I ever thought possible."

**GDGDGDGDGD**

The funeral was relatively small, with only a few friends from their building and Tony's team from NCIS in attendance, but it was beautiful and poignant. Ada had arranged for a closed casket in deference to Gabe, but there was a photo of the two of them displayed. They were laughing and happy and it was a nice memory to take with them. Tony had been the one to take that photograph. The three of them had spent the day at the aquarium and it was one of the last truly happy memories before Ada's collapse.

They went to the graveside service, but it was thankfully brief. Gabe had been filled with questions about why Ada was being buried and he'd recognized his mother's gravestone right beside the one for Ada. They had spoken quietly together until Gabe's natural exuberance had taken over and he'd taken off to play among the headstones while Tony thanked the guests for coming and the minister for his kind words. There would be no wake.

It took a few minutes for Tony to gather Gabe up, but when he did, it was to find that the only people left were his friends from NCIS.

"Thought we'd all go out for a bite to eat and a drink," McGee said when Tony joined them. "Maybe a steak from Clancy's."

"That sounds pretty good," Tony said. "Wasn't looking forward to cooking after all this."

"Do we get to ride in the limo again?" Gabe asked. It had been the highlight of his day. While he knew that they were supposed to say goodbye to his Grammy that day, he also knew that he'd already said his goodbyes. So the long funeral and dressing up in the itchy suit was for the grownups, not him.

"Just to the restaurant," Tony said. "Then we're on our own, okay?"

"'Kay," Gabe said as he rushed to where the driver was waiting with the door held open for them.

"We'll meet you there," Abby said as she, Ziva and Tim headed towards Tim's car and Ducky and Palmer headed towards the Morgan.

"Ziva," Gibbs said, catching her attention before she could go far. He tossed his car keys to her. "Take my car?"

"Certainly," Ziva said with a quick nod.

Gibbs followed Tony to the limo and climbed inside.

"Jethro!" Gabe cried out as soon as he spotted him. "You wanna ride in the limo too?"

"Thought it might be fun," Gibbs said with a grin. "You need to buckle up."

Tony leaned over and helped Gabe buckle himself into the booster seat before giving the driver the directions to Clancy's. Once the vehicle was underway, Gabe's attention was taken up with seeing everything they passed.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked Tony quietly.

"Glad that part's over," Tony said wearily and rubbed a hand over his face. "Hate funerals."

"Me too," Gibbs said darkly. "Vance sent his regrets. He's stuck in LA."

"He sent flowers," Tony shrugged.

Gibbs snorted. He'd never understood the practice of sending flowers to a funeral. Dead flora to commemorate the death of a loved one? It seemed truly morbid.

"Tony?"

The two adults' attention was captured by Gabe's small voice. "What's up, Little Man?"

"Gammy said you're gonna be my daddy now," Gabe said. "Is that right?"

Tony swallowed hard and nodded. "Sure is."

Gabe nodded thoughtfully in return. "Never had a daddy."

"Is that okay with you?" Tony asked. "Me being your daddy?"

"Yeah," Gabe said with a small smile. "You're like the bestest daddy ever." He giggled when Tony tickled his belly but once the fun was over, he frowned. "Does that mean I can't call you Tony anymore?"

"You can call me anything you want," Tony said.

Gabe nodded again. "I think maybe I'll call you daddy."

"I'd like that very much, Gabe," Tony said around the lump in his throat.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

"Good steak," Tony said with a sigh of contentment after finishing off the last of his ribeye. "Not as good as your steak, cooked cowboy style, Boss, but good."

Gibbs smirked and went back to his own ribeye. They were all finishing up their dinners. Even Gabe had polished off the hamburger and fries from his kid's meal. Talk had been somewhat light, though there was an undercurrent of sadness throughout. They all felt Tony and Gabe's pain and wanted to do what they could to help. Right now, giving them a dinner that was somewhat normal seemed the best thing for both of them.

After sharing desserts, the team broke up and began parting ways. Ziva headed off with Tim and Abby, Ducky took Palmer home, and Gibbs loaded Tony and Gabe into his car. It only took about fifteen minutes to get from the restaurant to Tony's place, but that was long enough to put Gabe to sleep after such a long day.

Gibbs carried the booster seat up while Tony carried Gabe. Once inside, Tony took Gabe to his spare room and Gibbs grabbed two beers from the fridge. A few minutes later, Tony joined him on the sofa.

"So now what?" Gibbs asked. Tony shook his head, at a complete loss. "Vance approved family leave for you. You can take up to six weeks if you need it."

Tony snorted. "I think I'd go crazy in six weeks. But I do need to find daycare for Gabe. And a house."

"House?" Gibbs questioned.

Tony swallowed his beer and then nodded. "Ada left a pretty big life insurance policy and some money in her will. She wanted me to get a house for Gabe, so that's what I'm gonna do."

"Must be pretty big to buy a house," Gibbs said.

"More than $400,000 in insurance after paying for the funeral and hospital bills," Tony said. "Plus more than $2 million in investments. Figure I can spend almost twice the insurance money and still pay less in mortgage than I'm paying in rent right now. She left a huge trust fund for Gabe too. She was living here and making ends meet on her husband's pension and social security, but had that kind of money put away."

"Sounds like you might need those six weeks," Gibbs said.

"Maybe," Tony agreed. "Don't like…"

"Don't like what?" Gibbs prompted.

Tony flushed and looked away. "Don't like leaving you out there in the wind. Need to be on your six."

"Tony…"

Tony shrugged and took another swig of beer before looking at Gibbs. "I trust Tim and Ziva, I just feel better being there."

Gibbs stared hard at his friend, his senior agent. The man who had become his _best_ friend. "I prefer to have you there. But Gabe needs you right now more than I do."

"I know," Tony sighed.

Gibbs was still for a long minute, waging a silent battle with himself. When the dust settled, he reached out and took Tony's hand in his. "I'm here, Tony."

Tony stared down at their hands clasped together and then closed his eyes as he savored the warmth that seemed to spread throughout his body from that single point of contact. He took a chance and shifted his hand, moving to interlock their fingers. "Thanks."


	4. Part Four

**Part Four**

Gibbs scrubbed his face with both hands. God he was tired. But at the same time, he felt good, really good. He hadn't gone home until after three in the morning. Tony had offered him the couch, but Gibbs didn't have an overnight kit with him. It was easier to just go home.

It was rather odd; he and Tony hadn't done any more than hold hands. There had been no declarations of love. There hadn't been any deep conversation about what they were doing or what it meant. They had talked about the usual things the two of them talked about and about the things Tony needed to do in the coming days. But they had done so holding hands. And neither of them had wanted to let go, which was why Gibbs had stayed so late and was paying for it this morning.

"Tony okay?" Tim asked when he saw how worn out their boss was. Gibbs was pleased by McGee's ability to put together a few sketchy clues and come up with a reasonable supposition. A few years ago, he wouldn't have noticed Gibbs' exhaustion, nor would he have figured out the reason behind it without someone else pointing it out to him. Gibbs knew Tony had a lot to do with Tim's growth as an agent.

"Yeah," Gibbs said. "Just needed to talk."

Tim nodded and headed for his desk. Gibbs was glad he didn't ask anything else. He wasn't quite sure what else he could say.

"I, uh…" Tim hesitated. "I brought a few things… for Gabe."

Gibbs nodded. "I'll take it with me after work."

On some level, he hated that anyone could read him quite so easily. On the other, he was proud that his team knew him so well; after all, he wasn't an easy man to know. And though Tim would never expect Gibbs to show up on his doorstep without due cause, he took it as a given that Gibbs would be spending time with Tony while he was dealing with everything.

Ziva came in a few minutes later carrying a foil wrapped tray. "I brought brownies. I thought Gabe and Tony might like them."

Gibbs grinned at her and accepted the offering.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Tony stared at the woman behind the desk. "I'm sorry?"

"We would need to perform a background check on Gabriel and yourself," the woman repeated. "Following that, there would be a series of tests to determine Gabriel's intelligence. If he passed that, then he would be placed on our waiting list. As of right now, the list is only three months, but it will get longer closer to the end of the school year."

"Gabriel will be starting kindergarten in five months," Tony said. "And I need childcare now."

The woman frowned at Tony's obvious ignorance. "Even two months at the Wilfred Academy would be better than years at any other preschool in this city. We are known for our excellence. Our graduates go on to some of the best preparatory schools and universities in the country."

"Right," Tony said sardonically. "Well, I'm sure that's great for them, but Gabe and I will work something else out. And if Gabe wants to go to Harvard, he'll do it with or without your preschool."

He rose and left the woman's office. He was seriously annoyed. Not only had he not had any luck getting Gabe into preschool, but he'd run into six different variations of that same interview in the process.

"Can we go home now?" Gabe asked when he saw Tony come to the door of the outer office.

"I wish," Tony sighed as he picked the boy up. "We still have one school left to visit."

Gabe wrinkled his nose. "Another baby school? I wanna go to big kid school."

"Well, the school we're going to is a bit different," Tony said. "It has pre-kindergarten classes, which would be where you'd go. But it goes all the way up to high school, with the really big kids."

Gabe nodded. "Maybe."

"Yeah," Tony sighed. "We haven't had much luck so far, have we?"

"Nope," Gabe said as he climbed into his booster in the back seat of Tony's car. After Tony had helped him buckle in, he said, "I hope this one's better."

"Me too," Tony said.

They drove across town to their final appointment of the day. This school really was different from the others. Everything Tony had read about their policies and philosophy meshed with what Tony wanted for Gabe. It would have been first on his list of places to visit, except that the headmaster hadn't had time in his schedule until late afternoon.

The school was in Alexandria, only about twenty minutes from the Navy Yard, but it was on a rather large campus and both Tony and Gabe took the opportunity to look around as they drove to the main building where the administrative offices were located. The school was laid out like a college campus with multiple buildings spread out over lush lawns. There were playing fields for every type of sport that one could imagine. There was even an indoor Olympic sized swimming pool and diving pool next to the field house.

"I like this school," Gabe said. His eyes followed the kids, ranging in ages from 3 to 18, as they spread out across the campus. Some were playing sports, others were in classes on the various lawns taking advantage of the warm spring sunshine.

"Me too," Tony said. "Let's go find the headmaster and see what he has to say."

Tony parked in the visitors' parking lot beside the administrative building and soon the two of them were heading up the steps to the ivy covered structure. They were greeted by a receptionist and soon led to the headmaster's office.

"Agent DiNozzo," the man greeted upon their entrance. He shook Tony's hand and then crouched low to offer Gabe his hand as well. "And you must be Gabe." Gabe giggled shyly but shook the man's hand. The headmaster straightened up and smiled. "I'm Headmaster Reynolds, but you can call me Walt. Everyone around here does. We're rather casual about things like that."

"Well, then, please, call me Tony," Tony said with a grin.

"Margaret, my assistant, filled me in on the circumstances surrounding your custody of Gabe. Please, allow me to convey my deepest sympathy," Walt said as he gestured for Tony to take a seat. Gabe climbed into Tony's lap, but looked around the office with fascination. Tony might have done the same if he wasn't caught up in the conversation with Walt. There were some truly amazing artifacts from all over the world in that room.

"Thanks," Tony said. "And I appreciate you seeing us so quickly."

Walt nodded. "I understand that Gabe hasn't been in any sort of structured educational environment so far?"

"No, he spent his days with his grandmother until recently," Tony said.

"Gammy's in heaven," Gabe told Walt sadly. "But she's my angel now, and she's watchin' out for me and Daddy."

Walt smiled at him. "I'm sure she is."

Gabe nodded in satisfaction as he judged the man before him. "Are you gonna be mean like those other people? I didn't like their yucky schools anyhow."

"We've actually been to a few different schools and preschools today," Tony explained. "Most were not…"

Walt smiled. "No need to explain. I'm well aware of the politics and pretentiousness of most of the other private schools in the area. I know about their waiting lists and claims of greatness. And while it's true that most of their students do go on to Ivy League schools, they don't advertise the fact that most of their students also spend a great deal of time in counseling of one sort or another due to the overwhelming pressure to succeed that their parents and schools place upon them."

"Yeah, I got that feeling," Tony said wryly.

"Well, at Yates Academy, we try to focus on the overall development of our students," Walt said. "We want our children to be well educated, but we also want them to be happy, well-adjusted and well-rounded. That's why we make both the arts and sports such a high priority. Not everything can be learned in the classroom. Teamwork and cooperation are learned on the playing field. Creativity and innovation are learned through the arts. And both impact on the learning potential of every child.

"We also attempt to foster a community of cooperation and understanding," Walt continued. "We do not tolerate bigotry or bullying in any form. We welcome children of every race, religion, economic circumstance and sexual orientation on our campus. We try to teach our students to celebrate our differences."

Tony grinned. "It sounds more like a hippie commune than a private school."

Walt chuckled. "That's not the first time I've heard that. We are rather liberal in our philosophies. Many parents aren't comfortable with that. They allow their own prejudices to color their views. Some believe that this is what they want, but when their child is sent home for bullying another student because of a philosophy they learned at home, they aren't pleased."

Tony explained honestly, "I was sent to military boarding school when I was a kid. Believe me when I say that this school sounds like nirvana to me. But… Timing is an issue. I'm on family leave currently, while Gabe and I get used to living together full-time, but I can't wait months for an opening."

"I understand," Walt said. "While we do prefer that students start at the beginning of term, we have made exceptions in the past if the circumstances warrant it. In your case, both Gabe's loss and your status as a single parent would both qualify as an exception. We do not have a waiting list; as I mentioned, we are not right for every family and are not the first school on the list of the wealthy and powerful politicians in this town. If our classes do grow, we simply hire more staff and expand our program."

Relief shot through Tony. "Wow, so then…"

"If this is the right school for Gabe, then he'll have a place here. Why don't we take a tour of the school and let Gabe see where he would have classes and we can continue our discussion," Walt said.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Gibbs let himself into Tony's apartment to the sound of laughter. The sound brought a grin to his lips and drove away any residual stress from a day on the job without Tony on his six. He found Tony and Gabe in the kitchen, working together on dinner.

"Ew!" Gabe squealed. "That's gross!"

Tony and Gabe both had their hands in a mixing bowl squishing and mashing with their hands.

"I think it's ready for the pan," Tony said.

"Meatloaf?" Gibbs asked with a smirk.

"Yeah!" Gabe said. "It's my _favorite_!"

Tony chuckled. "Why don't you let Jethro help you wash your hands while I get this into the oven?"

Gibbs nodded and followed the streak of energy to the bathroom. While he helped Gabe wash up, he noted several changes to the once pristine bathroom. It was still sparkling clean, but there was a basket of bath toys beside the tub now. There was also a step stool for Gabe beside the sink. And next to Tony's expensive hand towel was a hand towel with a cartoon character on it.

"That's Sponge Bob," Gabe said with a giggle. "He's funny."

"Oh yeah?" Gibbs asked.

"Yup," Gabe said with a decisive nod as he dried his hands of Sponge Bob's face. "Even Ton- I mean, Daddy agrees."

"Daddy agrees, huh?" Gibbs said with a smile. "Well, he must be pretty funny then."

"Yep." Gabe stepped down from his stool and raced back out to the living room.

Gibbs followed and found the boy turning on the TV and flipping channels until he found Sponge Bob. He sat down, prepared to watch the inane show that Gabe loved so much. Just like Tony, Gabe began a running commentary, explaining to Gibbs who each of the characters were and why there was a squirrel living at the bottom of the ocean.

Tony joined them a little while later, but when the episode was over, Tony turned to Gabe, "You've watched more than enough Sponge Bob today. Why don't you go draw a picture for Jethro in your room while we talk?"

Once Gabe was gone, Gibbs grabbed Tony's hand and stroked the back with his thumb. "So, how'd it go today?"

"Horribly," Tony said. "At least at first. We went to six very snooty schools, none of which would take Gabe until he'd had a battery of tests and passed a background check. Two of them even wanted a congressional recommendation. Like he was trying to go to Annapolis!"

Gibbs snorted. "And the wait lists?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Unbelievable. But then we headed over to Yates and… well, let's just say it was a whole new world."

Gibbs chuckled. "I'm sure. Tell me about it?"

"Very liberal," Tony said. "But it's a solid education and they try to nurture the students, not just shove facts down their throats so they can parrot them back for standardized tests. They have a huge sports program and a great arts program—both fine and performing—and the school goes all the way from pre-kindergarten to high school."

Gibbs nodded thoughtfully. "Uniforms?"

"Yeah," Tony sighed. It was the one drawback in his mind. "But they're fairly loose with it. Docker pants or shorts. Oxford shirts or polos. A variety of sweaters or jackets they can wear. And the colors are pretty much mix and match as long as you stick to navy blue, light blue, light yellow or white for the shirts and blue, gray or khaki for the pants. The point isn't to make everyone clones but to keep the students looking presentable."

"Sounds reasonable," Gibbs said. He wasn't as opposed to uniforms as Tony.

"We toured the campus, and I have to say, it's pretty impressive," Tony continued. "Gabe's class would be in the primary building. It holds pre-k through fourth grades. And then fifth through eighth grades are in the middle school. And then ninth through twelfth in the high school. There's a building just for the arts and their field house rivals the field house at Ohio State."

"What about class room sizes?" Gibbs asked. He remembered going over all of this with Shannon when Kelly was starting school. On his salary, they hadn't been able to afford private school, but they'd moved to an area with the best schools they could afford. That was how he'd ended up with the house in Alexandria.

Tony smiled, glad that he'd thought to ask that question. "In the primary school, they make sure that there are only ten to twelve children in a class. And each class has at least one teacher and one aide. Pre-k and kindergarten classes have two aides. The middle school has between twelve and fifteen students per class with a teacher and an aide. High school classes have ten to twelve students with just one teacher."

"That's pretty impressive," Gibbs said. He knew that Kelly's classes had between fifteen and twenty kids with only one teacher. Occasionally a parent would come to help for an hour or two, but usually the teacher was on her own. "And since you're so pleased with this school, I'll assume they were able to get Gabe in?"

"Yep," Tony said with a smile. "He'll start half days on Monday. Then, when I go back to work, he'll spend the rest of the day in their aftercare. A lot of parents can't really deal with half-days with their jobs, so they provide daycare either in the morning for those in afternoon classes or in the afternoon for morning classes. Gabe will have a couple weeks of half days getting to know his classmates, and then he'll be in aftercare with several of his classmates, so it will be easier for him to make the transition."

"I called the base daycare," Gibbs said. "They do school pick-ups and have an opening."

Tony nodded but he was frowning. "I hate the thought of leaving him with strangers so long every day."

"Then maybe you should consider a nanny," Gibbs said with a shrug. "You'll need someone when a case goes late."

"Yeah," Tony sighed. "I think that might be better. Maybe a college student with flexible hours. I'd only need them from 3:30 to 6:30 unless a case went late."

They were both quiet for a few minutes, simply enjoying the close companionship. Finally Gibbs asked, "You meet with the realtor yet?"

"Tomorrow," Tony said. Tony hesitated for a moment. "You want to go with us? Maybe give me some advice?"

"I could do that," Gibbs said. He leaned over and gently kissed Tony's lips. It was their first kiss and, though it was rather chaste, it meant more to each of them than either might have imagined.

Just then the oven timer buzzed and Gabe came running out of his room. "Dinner?!"


	5. Part Five

**Part Five**

It was their second day of house hunting and they were now looking at a rather sizable craftsman style house in Alexandria, built back in the 1920's. It was actually only a couple miles from Gibbs' house. That idea appealed to Tony. The house, however, was a lot more than he had anticipated. Four bedrooms with an addition on the back that had turned the master bedroom into a very large and modern master suite. Downstairs, the addition had turned the cramped old kitchen into a spacious and modern combination kitchen and family room. There was a formal living room and dining room—which connected to the kitchen through a traditional pantry—down there, as well as a library that current owner used as a music room.

"The seller is willing to include the piano in the sale," the realtor told them. "He's moving overseas and the cost of transporting it is prohibitive."

That too, was rather tempting to Tony. He hadn't played anything bigger than his electric keyboard in years. The thought of playing on a baby grand of the quality of this one was more than tempting.

The basement was finished and Tony gave a brief thought that Gibbs wouldn't be able to build any boats down there, but then shoved them away. They weren't to that stage of their relationship yet and who knew if they ever would be. There was a media room down there as well as an exercise room and the laundry room.

"They're leaving the washer and dryer, as well," the realtor said helpfully as they entered the laundry room.

The laundry room was just as modern as the kitchen, with the best appliances available on the market. It wasn't really a selling point for Tony, but it would be nice not to have to haul his clothes to the Laundromat or the often out of order public laundry room in the basement of their building.

In the utility room, the realtor said, "The owners replaced the old water heater with a tankless system."

"No more running out of hot water mid-shower," Tony mused.

"When they added the spa tub in the master bath, it became obvious that a traditional heating system wasn't going to work," the realtor told them.

"That tub holds more water than most tanks," Gibbs agreed.

"The house has forced air heat and air conditioning," the woman told them. "The house was converted back in the eighties and the current owners replaced both the heating unit and air conditioning unit in the last five years."

"They did a lot," Gibb remarked as they made their way back upstairs. Gabe was in his arms and listening intently to the grownups, though he didn't understand half of what they said.

"The house was in rough shape when they purchased," the woman agreed. "And they had every intention of staying here until they retired. Unfortunately, his job transferred him to Germany unexpectedly."

They all followed her out the sliding glass doors in the kitchen/family room and onto the large back deck. The yard was rather large and had a large play set, complete with a tire swing, two regular swings, monkey bars and a tower with a slide. Gabe wiggled until Gibbs set him down and then ran over to play.

"I think Gabe likes this place," Tony muttered.

"I think you do too," Gibbs said with a smirk. He looked around the yard and noticed a rather sizable building in the back of the lot. They had already seen the garage, which connected to the kitchen via a pergola that opened into the mudroom. "What's that?"

The realtor smiled at them. "The workshop. The current owner's hobby was restoring cars. It's quite large and fully heated and air conditioned."

Tony followed Gibbs out to the workshop and they went inside. The walls were lined with workbenches and empty tool racks. The center of the shop was empty, but Tony could picture a sailboat there. The space was larger than Gibbs' basement and had the added benefit of being easier to get the damned things out.

If Gibbs lived with them. Someday. In the future.

In silence, they walked back to the deck where Gabe was waiting for them with the realtor. "Is this our new house? 'Cause I like this one. A whole lots!"

"Me too, Little Man," Tony said with a grin. "Let's see if we can buy it."

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Two days of house hunting had left all three of them exhausted, so it wasn't entirely surprising that Gibbs had gone home early Sunday evening. Nor was it entirely surprising that Tony was glad that he did. They had spent the last three evenings together and each night had been simple and relaxed. And yet, the very nature of this change in their relationship was bringing an added stress to Tony's already stressful life.

What did it all mean? Where were they going? How would they handle things once Tony was back at work? What happened to rule 12?

There were a million questions running through Tony's head, and very few answers. He knew that the smart thing would be to sit down with Jethro and talk about it, but it wasn't really something they did. And he wasn't sure if he was ready to ask the questions or hear the answers. So instead, he decided to simply enjoy what they had, their slow and leisurely courtship, and face the questions once he was back on solid footing.

Monday morning, Tony got up, dressed Gabe in his new uniform, and they set off to Yates Academy together. Gabe had been thrilled by the idea of starting school and had talked nonstop all weekend about his new classroom and all the new friends he was going to make. Tony just hoped he wasn't disappointed.

In order to help Gabe acclimate, they let Tony stay and observe for an hour and it was a good thing. Despite his enthusiasm, once faced with the real thing, Gabe had clung to Tony's side, unwilling to let him go. But by the time the children finished their singing circle and had moved on to doing crafts, Gabe had forgotten all about Tony and had run off with a little blonde girl named Lila. Tony smirked. He was going to be a heartbreaker.

Rather than heading back to his empty apartment, Tony went over to NCIS. He only had two hours before he had to go back to the school to pick Gabe up, so he figured it would be a good time to check in with everyone. Assuming they weren't busy with a hot case.

They weren't.

"Tony!" Ziva said with a wide smile. "Where is Gabe?"

Tony chuckled. "I'm hurt. Gabe comes along and I'm shoved to the background."

Ziva laughed. "It is good to see you."

"Thanks, Ziva," Tony said. "Gabe's at school. He started at Yates Academy today. Thanks for the brownies, by the way. Gabe loved them."

"Gibbs said that you ate most of them," Ziva scolded.

"Gibbs lies," Tony said defiantly. He was prepared for the head slap when it came. "Didn't see you there, Boss."

"Right," Gibbs smirked.

"And you did eat your fair share of the brownies," Tony said unrepentantly.

Gibbs rolled his eyes but was saved from replying by McGee's arrival. "Tony! How did Gabe like the stuff I sent over?"

"He loved them," Tony said wryly. "But I think I'm going to have to glue your keyboard to your desk again."

McGee frowned. "Why?"

"Thomas the Tank Engine, Probie?" Tony asked.

McGee shrugged. "He liked the trains at the Smithsonian."

"So now we watch that blasted DVD six times a day and read the book four times each night before bed," Tony sighed. "At least the toy trains aren't too bad."

"I could have gotten the train whistle," McGee said with a smirk. "Maybe I should go back and do that?"

"Not on your life!" Tony said.

"Thomas is better than that Sponge Bob crap he was watching the other day," Gibbs opined.

"No way!" Tony denied. "Sponge Bob is the man!"

The conversation degenerated from there, as each of Gibbs' agents piped in with their favorite cartoon character. Gibbs shook his head and went to work.

"Listen I don't have much time left before I head back to pick up Gabe," Tony finally said. "I should go down and say hi to Abby and then Ducky."

"You should have come see me first!" Abby scolded as she walked into the bullpen. "I had to hear from Steve in accounting that you were here!"

"Sorry, Abs," Tony grinned. "These two missed me so much they wouldn't let me leave!"

"Right Mister," Abby said disbelievingly. "Now, I want to know when I'm going to be invited to babysit? Gabe and I have much to discuss!"

Tony looked confused for a brief minute, but then smiled. "How's Thursday evening?"

Gibbs smirked and caught Tony's eye briefly. Then he nodded his head slightly. He was up for dinner out on Thursday.

"You got it," Abby agreed. "Now go! Say hi to Ducky and Palmer and then go get your boy. Shoo!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Tony said and gave her a mock salute before leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Call me."

"I will," Abby promised.

Then Tony was on his way to autopsy and it seemed like the light had left the room. Gibbs sighed and went back to work.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Much of Tony's week was filled with sorting and packing. He got word from the realtor early on Tuesday that his bid on the house had been accepted. The inspection had taken place on Wednesday and the closing had been set for two weeks from Friday. That meant that Tony had to get his place packed up and he needed to go through Ada's apartment and decide what to pack and what to sell.

Gabe came home with all sorts of stories about his first day at school and was excited already at the thought of staying for aftercare. When Gibbs came for dinner Monday evening, he repeated all his stories to him. For the rest of the week, each evening Gibbs got to hear about Gabe's adventures, either over dinner or over the phone. The MCRT got a case Wednesday that kept Gibbs late, so he missed dinner with Tony and Gabe, but he made sure to call. And then, on Thursday, they were lucky to wrap up the case just before five.

"Go home people," Gibbs called out to his team. He was eager for his date with Tony and had no intention of being late. "Write up your reports first thing tomorrow morning."

A trip home to shower and change clothes, and then Gibbs was on his way back to Tony's apartment, where he let himself in with the key.

"I'll be glad once you're moved," Gibbs noted as he watched Tony clean up from the dinner he'd fed Gabe. He was dressed in nice black jeans that hugged his ass and a black cashmere sweater. Gibbs' mouth was suddenly very dry. "The new house is a lot closer."

"It is," Tony said with a smile. "Abby should be here any minute."

They exchanged looks over Gabe's head. They hadn't discussed whether or not they would tell her anything. But Gibbs trusted her and didn't really feel the need to go back to his car to hide from her. The decision was made moot anyway when the doorbell rang.

"I'll let her in," Gibbs said.

Abby's eyes narrowed when she saw Gibbs at the door, then they widened almost comically. When the broad smile reached her lips, however, Gibbs knew she was pleased not only by the circumstance but that they had opted to let her in on the situation. "Hey, Bossman! I wasn't expecting to find you here."

"Abby!" Gabe cried out and practically flung himself into her arms. "You are really silly. Jethro is _always_ here."

"He is, is he?" Abby asked as she gave Gibbs and Tony sly looks. "Well, I suppose I should have guessed that."

"Yep," Gabe said. "Wanna see my room? Only it's not gonna be my room for long. Daddy bought us a house and it has a slide and swings and everything!"

While Gabe filled Abby in on all the changes in his life since she last saw him, Tony and Gibbs shared a look. "I guess I should grab my jacket and then say goodnight to the imp."

"Guess so," Gibbs said with a smile. But he didn't let Tony do either of those things. Instead, he grabbed Tony and pulled him into his arms. Then, like a man who has been away from home for months, he kissed Tony soundly. "Missed you."

Tony grinned. "You saw me Tuesday evening. And we've talked on the phone three times in the last two days."

"Still missed you," Gibbs said.

"Good," Tony said with a beatific smile.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

"Why didn't you tell me you and Gibbs are getting it on?" Abby demanded as soon as Tony walked through the door later that night.

Tony, relaxed after an evening of dinner, a movie and long slow kisses in Gibbs' car, smiled. "Because we aren't. Not yet, at least."

Abby's eyebrows raised. "You aren't? But then…?"

Tony shrugged. "We're taking it slow. This is new to both of us and it's really important we don't screw it up. There are a lot of things to consider."

"Like rule twelve?" Abby questioned.

Tony shook his head. "No, but the rules about a superior dating a subordinate are a consideration. And there's Gabe to consider too."

"Well, you can count on me for discretion," Abby vowed solemnly. "No one at work will hear it from me. As for Gabe, I think no matter how things work out, Gibbs will always be around for him. And for you."

"I know," Tony said. "It's one of the reasons I'm not worried about Gabe getting attached. Gibbs is really great with him."

"Now, tell me all about this new house," Abby said. "And then you're going to tell me what it's like going on a date with the great Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

Tony laughed but let Abby lead him to the sofa.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

It took another two weeks for everything to settle down. Tony worked with an antique dealer to sell the items that Ada had left that wouldn't be going with them to the new house. He worked with a moving company to pack up both the apartments. He worked with a decorator to make sure the house was ready for them to move in when the time came. And when he wasn't busy with all of that, he was interviewing college students for the part time nanny position.

Eventually, however, the move went without a hitch and Gina started picking Gabe up from school each afternoon. Though he still had two weeks of family leave left, Tony was more than ready to head back to work.

Despite the fact that Gibbs had come over almost every night while Tony was out, Tony had missed working with the man, so it was with a light heart that Tony arrived at NCIS after dropping Gabe at school that Monday morning.

"I'm back!" Tony announced to the room at large as soon as he stepped off the elevator. Every eye turned to him and soon he was surrounded by his team and other colleagues welcoming him. Over their heads, Tony's eyes met Gibbs' and Gibbs grinned at him. Tony grinned back and continued to field questions about Gabe and his new house. Soon it was just Abby, Jimmy, McGee and Ziva.

"Listen, we'll have the whole team over for dinner this weekend," Tony said. "You can see for yourselves that Gabe is fine and the house isn't going to fall down around our ears."

"I'll bring beer," Jimmy offered.

"We'll bring dessert," Abby offered for her and Ziva.

"I've got the wine," McGee said.

"I'll bring the steaks," Gibbs offered. He had gone with Tony just that weekend, after the movers had finished unpacking, to pick out a grill for the back deck.

"I'll ask Dr. Mallard to bring potato salad," Jimmy said.

"And what am I supposed to do, if you all are providing the food?" Tony asked with bemusement.

"Veggie burgers," Abby said. "And salad. And maybe some baked beans, but no ham or bacon in the beans."

"Right you are," Tony agreed and kissed her cheek. "Now, scoot. I'm itching to get back to work."

Gibbs snorted but encouraged everyone with a look to go about their business. Tony sat at his desk and started up his computer. He sighed when he saw how many emails there were waiting for him. The IT department was going to have a fit if he didn't clear some of that out. For the next hour, that's exactly what Tony did. When the phone rang from dispatch, he had barely made it through a quarter of the emails, but he was relieved for the excuse to leave that behind for a while.

"We got a case," Tony announced to the team. "Ensign Betty Clark was found dead outside her apartment building in Alexandria this morning."

"Gear up," Gibbs said.

The team moved swiftly and were soon climbing into the elevator together. Tony exchanged a look with Gibbs as the doors slid shut. It was great to be back.


	6. Part Six

**Part Six**

A few hours later, Tony wasn't so sure why he had been so eager to get back to work. Their investigation had led them to question Clark's boyfriend, Aaron Jamison. Aaron had taken one look at them as they drove up to the docks where he worked and had bolted. The chase was on and Tony had been in hot pursuit when Jamison turned suddenly and Tony had been knocked into the river. Gibbs, of course, had been there to bring Jamison down, but that still left Tony cold and wet and irritable.

And on top of everything, he missed Gabe.

"Go home DiNozzo," Gibbs said when he saw Tony glance at the phone for the fifth time in as many minutes.

"But—"

Gibbs cut him off with a look. "We'll interrogate Jamison tomorrow. Ziva and McGee are just finishing processing him and then I'm sending them home too. Paperwork can wait. Go home."

Tony grinned. "Right, Boss." He cleared off his desk and shut down his computer before grabbing his pack. Then he went over to Gibbs desk and asked quietly, "You coming for dinner?"

Gibbs looked at the pile of papers on his desk and calculated how long it would take him to get out of there. "Don't hold dinner for me, but I will be by."

"Good," Tony said. "I'll save you a plate."

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Gibbs arrived at the new house just before Gabe's bedtime. He was immediately caught up in the nightly ritual of teeth-brushing and story-reading. He really didn't mind at all. In fact, he had come to really love spending time with Gabe. When he returned downstairs, Tony had heated a plate of lasagna for him and they sat in the family room together watching a baseball game while he ate.

"We should tell the team," Gibbs said once he had finished and set the empty plate aside.

Tony's eyes widened in surprise. "We should?"

Gibbs nodded. "Don't like keeping secrets. And if anyone has a problem with it, we should work it out now."

Tony got up and took Gibbs' plate to the kitchen. While he rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher, he thought about what Gibbs said. Then he grabbed a couple beers and headed back to the sofa.

"Maybe you're right," Tony said. "But... things are still so new. What if..."

Gibbs grabbed Tony's hand. "Hey, we've been friends and have dealt with each other's flaws and insecurities for ten years. I don't think either of us have any illusions about the other that will ruin things down the road. We've been taking things slow, but I think that just shows how invested we both are."

"So you're saying that you think this is gonna become a permanent thing?" Tony asked with a smile.

Gibbs smirked back at him. "And you don't? I'm pretty sure we both thought about moving my boat into that workshop out back the day we looked at this house."

Tony blushed lightly. "Maybe. But... isn't it too soon to think about stuff like that? This is all new for me, Jethro. I've never wanted to live with anyone. I've never thought about forever with anyone."

Gibbs shrugged. "I've only felt like this once before, Tony. I'm pretty sure that means something. I know it's fast. I know we haven't even shared a bed yet. But I also know that I love you."

Tony stared into Gibbs' eyes for a long moment before swallowing back his emotions. "I love you too. Have for a long time now. So, I guess I'm okay with telling the rest of the team. And I'm okay with you moving your boat here, or anything and everything else for that matter. And as for sharing a bed, I think we could change that tonight."

Gibbs smiled as Tony stood up and then pulled him up as well. Together, they made their way up to the master bedroom.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

"Oh my god!" Abby squealed on Saturday. "This house is amazing Tony!"

"Just wait until you see the rest of it," Tony predicted. "Gabe wants to give tours once everyone arrives, so no peeking until then."

"Abby!" Gabe shouted as he came streaking through the foyer and launched himself at her knees. "You came! Daddy and Jethro said you were coming and I've been SOOOO excited. I want to show you my new room and our movie room and my swings and the piano that Daddy's teaching me to play and, and EVERYTHING!"

"Well, Daddy said we should wait for everyone else for the grand tour, but maybe you could show me the kitchen so I can put these cupcakes down?" Abby said.

Gabe's eyes went wide. "I LOOOOVE cupcakes!"

"Me too," Abby admitted.

Tony watched them wander to the back of the house and grinned. Gibbs was already out back, getting the grill ready. Tim and Ziva had arrived not long ago and were on the deck as well. Ducky and Palmer were the only ones not there yet. Of course, as soon as he started back towards the kitchen to join the others, the doorbell rang again and Tony went to greet the last two guests.

As he walked Ducky and Palmer out to the back deck, Tony could hear his son's voice. He loved being the center of attention. Just like his father, Tony admitted to himself ruefully.

"My daddy likes kisses," Gabe was telling someone. As Tony stepped onto the back deck, he saw that his was talking to Abby, Tim and Ziva, who were all sitting at the table.

"Well, daddies like to give their little boys kisses," Abby said reasonably.

Tony's stomach flipped as he saw Gabe roll his eyes. He knew what was coming before Gabe even opened his mouth. "Not just me, Abby. Daddy likes kissing Jethro, too!"

Abby bit her lips to keep from laughing and shot Tony an apologetic look. Tony looked around at the rest of the team and noted that all of them but Ducky were gaping.

"Well, it's about time, Anthony," Ducky said as he patted Tony's shoulder. "Now, where should I put the potato salad?"

This time Abby did laugh. Tim, Ziva and Jimmy were all still looking shocked. Gibbs, who had been messing with the grill turned around and shook his head.

"Jethro likes kissing daddy, too, Gabe," Gibbs said with a smirk. "It's a grownup thing. You'll figure it out when you're older. Though I'm not sure Uncle Tim, Uncle Jimmy and Auntie Ziva have quite figured it out yet."

Tony laughed this time. They hadn't really planned on telling the team that way but they should have known that Gabe would give something away. Now that Tony thought about it, it was pretty surprising he hadn't already.

"Probie, Probette, Gremlin, if you don't close your mouths, you're going to start catching flies," Tony joked.

That seemed to break the spell the three were under. And soon they were all talking over each other. From what little Tony could make out, they were asking questions. Rather than answer them, Tony took the potato salad from Ducky and added it to the table of food set up near the grill.

"Steaks, hot dogs and veggie burgers are done," Gibbs called out as he put them onto a plate and added them to the table. He gave Tony a small smile as he passed the younger man. "Get it while it's hot."

"Beer and soda are in the cooler beside the table," Tony told them.

It didn't take long to get everyone moving and filing their plates. Tony helped Gabe with his first and then went back for his own food. Somehow, he ended up between Gabe and Gibbs and he was pretty happy about that.

"So, Tony, Gibbs, when did...?" Ziva let her question trail off.

Tony smiled a little sadly. "After Ada's funeral."

"I see," Ziva said.

"I don't," Tim said under his breath but everyone heard him anyway. "I mean... Not that I'm... against it or anything, but I don't get it."

"Well, I will reiterate my earlier statement," Ducky said. "I think it's about time. The two of you have been dancing around this for years. Not that either of you would admit it."

"I thought I was the only one dancing," Tony said. "Ada said I was wrong. Jethro proved me wrong and her right."

"We haven't rally said anything to anyone because of the work situation," Gibbs said. "And because we've been taking things slow."

"Did I get you and Jethro in trouble?" Gabe asked Tony.

Tony smiled at him. "No, little man, we aren't in trouble. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm with Ducky on this," Abby said. "I think it's great you two have each other."

"Thanks, Abs," Tony said with a grin.

"How long have you known?" Jimmy asked her.

"Just since I babysat a while back," Abby said. "And I was sworn to secrecy."

"Well, I guess if you are happy, I can be happy for you," Jimmy said.

"Well said," Ducky said.

"Yes," Ziva agreed. "Congratulations."

Everyone turned to look at McGee. Abby even elbowed him. "What? Oh! Congratulations." He turned to Abby. "I said I didn't have a problem with them being together; you didn't have to elbow me."

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Once the team knew, neither Tony nor Gibbs could find any reason not to move in together. They were pushing their luck with trying to keep things quiet at work, but they knew that the anti-fraternization policies were in place to prevent one person taking advantage of another. In their case, they had been working together for so long that it would be highly unlikely that anyone had been pressured into anything.

Gibbs and Tony had both joked about moving the boat to the workshop, but Tony didn't really see how it would be possible. But then Gibbs showed up with the skeleton of a boat on a trailer. Tony shook his head even as he moved to help get the thing into the workshop.

The next day, Gibbs arrived with a truck load of tools. Tony laughed. It figured the man would move the boat and tools before anything else.

Slowly, Gibbs moved everything over to the new house. He would finish at work, and then stop at his house to pick up a load of stuff. Then he'd go to the new house and Tony and Gabe would help him unload. Eventually, all that was left at the old house was the furniture that Gibbs didn't want and a few boxes of kitchen equipment that Tony already had.

He called for a charity to come pick that stuff up and put the house on the market.

"So it's official, then?" Tony asked when Gibbs told him that he had called the realtor. "Have you filed it with HR yet?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Nope. I will tomorrow. I doubt anyone will notice."

Tony nodded. "Vance will. Eventually."

"Eventually," Gibbs agreed. "By then, we'll have proved that our living arrangements don't affect our work."

"Pretty sure of that, aren't you?" Tony said.

"Yep."

Tony shook his head. "You're late. Gabe is already asleep. And I want to be asleep soon too."

"Then let's go to bed," Gibbs said.

They headed upstairs and stopped in to check on Gabe together. Then they headed for the master bedroom. While they both got ready for bed, Tony considered how much his life had changed in the past months. While he wouldn't have wished anyone dead, he couldn't be sorry for the tragedies that had served as the catalyst for all of those changes. After all, it was those events that had given him Gabe and Jethro both.

Tony was already in bed when Gibbs emerged from the bathroom and climbed into bed beside him. Tony just had to smile at his lover. His life wasn't perfect, but it was pretty damned close.

"Welcome home, Jethro," Tony said tiredly as he snuggled into his lover's arms.

**The End**


End file.
